Shoe and method of making it



G. FERGUSON.

SHOE AND METHOD OF MAKING IT. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 11, 1920.

PatentedAug. 15, 1922.4

W n 70m UNETED STATE PATENT FFHQE.

GEORGE FERGUSON, OF WOLLASTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF EATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SHOE AND METHOD OF Ill/TAKING IT.

January 17, 1920.

To all 1072 am it may concern Be itknown that i, GEORGE FEReUsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vollastorn in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Shoes and Methods of hiiaking Them, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like refer ence characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

T he present invention relates to the manufacture of shoes and more especially it concerns the manufacture of shoes of the kind in which the shoe upper is sewed while reversed or inside out, to a single sole and the shoe thereafter turned right side out, such shoes being commonly termed turn shoes. 7

By way of illustration the invention is herein shown in its application to the manufacture of turn shoes with molded and vulcanized rubber compound soles of the type shown and described in Patent No. 1,286,176, dated Nov. 26, 1918. It is to be understood, however,- that the invention is not intended to be l mited thereby. but to be applicable to the manufacture of any character of turn shoes in which the invention may be used to advantage.

The invention has for its principal object to improve the manufacture of turn shoes, particularly with respect to the construction and formation of the soles and the manner of assembling the sole and constituent parts of the shoe so as to reduce the production cost of the shoes and improve their serviceability and comfort.

l'Vith this object in mind theinvention 1=outemplates a rubber compound sole constructed to be incorporated in a turn shoe as the outer tread member of the shoe and having a marginal portion and a central foot-supporting portion, said sole being molded to form, adjacent to the feather, an outwardly facing sewing shoulder the top of which is in substantially the plane of said central portion, and a stitch-receiving gutter separating the sewing shoulder from the central portion of the sole. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the sole comprises a sole-shaped body ofvrubber cornpound and an upper layer of textile material the marginal portion of which is projected upwardly with the rubber body to provide Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 15, 1922.

Original application filed December 13, 1918, Serial No. 266,578. Divided and this application filed Serial no. 352,024.

a sewing rib and the portion of the sole within the sewing rib is built up to substantially the height of this sewing rib, so as to form a substantially level foot-engagsurface for the sole. The built up central portion of the sole is separated from the sewing rib by a narrow gutter the function of which is to provide the necessary clearance for the needle in sewing a shoe upper to the sole and to receive the inseam stitches. As herein shown the central portion of the sole is built up by applying to the sole a layer or layers of fabric shaped to extend to the inner edge of the gutter and preferably disposed between the rubber body and the rib forming layer. This built-up fabric portion of the sole not only gives the sole more body and strength but it also serves as an insulation for the foot, both of which features are of especial importance in a turn shoe wherein only the single sole is employed.

The invention further contemplates a sole for turn shoes made of composite material and having a sewing rib or shoulder formed along its marginal surface with the top of the shoulder substantially flush with the upper surface of the sole through the forepart the sole and having a recess formed in the upper surface of the shank portion of the sole within the shoulder adapted to receive a shank stiffening member. This is herein accomplished by projecting the sewing rib a uniform height above the upper surface of the sole and terminating the builtup portion of the sole at substantially its ball line whereby the sewing rib along either side of the shank of the sole together with the rear end of the built-up portion of the sole produces the walled stiffener receiving recess for the shank and if desired the heel seat portion of the sole.

The composite turn sole thus produced is employechin the illustrated preferred practice of the invention, by a procedure which comprises assembling the sole and the shoe upper inside out upon a last and sewing the upper to the sewing rib of the sole, turning the shoe right side out while the sole is flexible in the shank, arranging in the prepared recess a shank stiffening member the upper surface of which is substantially flush with the top of the adjacent sewing rib and the forepart of the sole and thereafter relasting the shoe and completing its manufacture in the usual manner. It will be noted that the shank stiffener receiving recess enables the stiffening memberaccurately to be incorporated in the shoe and maintained in position most efiiciently to perform its functions without additional fastening means. I

In its preferred practice, the invention further contemplates the application of a filling material to the stitch receiving gutter formed on the upper surface. of the sole prior to turning the shoe right side out and aclt antageously while the sole is in its reversed conformation on the last in which case the filler material is held in place in the gutter under compression when the sole resumes its normal conformation in the finished shoe. The shoe bottom gutter filler provided by the invention and illustrated herein comprises a strip of conformable and preferably slightly compressible material of indefinite length and of a cross-sectional shape to fill the stitch receiving gutter of the sole substantially flush with the adjacent surfaces of the sole. By applying this filler strip to the sole when it is still attached to the first last, as directly after the sewing operation, the gutter is opened up or sprung because of the reverse convexity of the sole which facilitates the application of the filler in the gutter and subsequently when the shoe is removed from the last and turned right side out the gutter closes in on the filler strip and acts to hold it under compression, the compressibility of the material also compensating for any variation in the shape of the filler which would interfere with the desired conformation of the sole. The feature of the invention which provides a sho'ebottom gutter filler and the application of this filler to the stitch receiving gut for after the sewing operation is performed on the shoe to present a surface flush with theftop of the sewing rib and the central surface of the sole is applicable also to the manufacture of welt shoes in which the in sole is made so as to provide a sewing rib substantially flush with the surface of the insole within the sewing rib, the gutter filler levelingoif thebottom of the insole and providing a fiat surface upon which to lay the ferred embodiment of the invention, the sole being shown partly in transverse section at the forepart;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the shoe upper attached to the sole and the manner of filling the stitch receiving gutter'of the sole;

Fig. 3 illustrates the application of a shank stiffening member to the sole in accor-dance with the preferred practice of the invention;

Fig. i is a view, partly in section, of the completed shoe.

In manufacturing a rubber turn sole such as herein illustrated for the purpose of ex plaining the invention, a composite sole structure is built up from a sole-shaped body 2 of rubber compound and a top layer 4 offibrous material such as heavy canvas, the rubber bodybeing of substantially uniform thickness and of unvulcanized rubber stock. The top layer at of canvas, the marginal portion of which is to co-operate with the rubber body 2 in producing the inseam stitch receiving structure or sewingrib for the sole is cut out to a size to cover substantially the entire upper surface of the body 2 as shown. Thema'terial which is to build up the central portion of the sole blank within the sewing rib, is herein shown as consisting of two layers 6, 8 of canvas of a size and thickness "to cover the central portion of the sole blank within the sewing rib and provide a surface for this portion ofthe sole which is substantially the same height as the top of the sewing rib. These filler layers 6, 8, as shown in the drawings, preferably terminate at substantially the forward end of the shank portion of the sole blank for a purpose hereinafter to be explained and are i11- terposed between the top layer of canvas and the rubber body 2. Also the blank of filler material is slightly smaller than the area within the sewing rib and is centrally disposed on the blank so that the edges of the two layers will present an upright wall forming the inner wall of the gutter which is molded in the upper surface of the sole. Although the kind of material used to con stitute the filler for the sole is not essential, canvas material has given very satisfactory results since itis adapted to become effectively consolidated with the rubber body of the sole by vulcanization and serves to reinforce the sole and add to its wearing qualities. It is not necessary to inter-pose the filling layers 6, 8 between the rubber body and the top layer but they maybe advantageouslymolded on top of the layer 4 of the soleor the central portion of thesole may be composed entirely of the material of which the sole is made. In'this case, how ever, the utility ofthe canvas material. as an insulator for the foot 'in the interior of the shoe is not obtained.

After the layers which are to constitute the composite sole have been accurately assembled they are carefully placed between two co-operating sole molds and subjected to a molding pressure and to vulcanization. The sole shaping faces of these molds are formed and arranged to mold along the upper marginal surface of the sole blank a predetermined distance in from its sole edge an outwardly facing sewing shoulder 1 against which the shoe upper is to be sewed, and a feather 14 extending outwardly from the base of the shoulder and forming the sole margin. Preferably the sewing shoulder or rib 12 is formed in the mold by uniformly reducing the thickness of the sole material along its margin in order that the sewing rib may be of a uniform height relatively to both the tread and to the upper surfaces of the sole with its top in substantially the plane of the central foot supporting portion in the completed shoe. An inseam stitch receiving gutter 16 is also molded in the upper surface of the sole blank a predetermined distance inwardly from the shoulder and extending parallel to the said shoulder with he bottom of the gutter opposite the base of the sewing rib 12 to provide the required between substance'20 to hold the inseam stitches. The inner wall 22 of this gutter is formed primarily by the edges of the canvas layers (3 and 8 which constitute the central portion 24- of the sole and the upper surface of this central portion 2t is so molded that it lies in substantially the plane of the top of the sewing rib 12 thus providin a substan tially level upper surface for the sole from shoulder to shoulder. The gutter 16 separating the shoulder 12 and the main foot supporting portion 2a of the sole is only sufficiently wide to give the proper clearance for the sewing needle as it emerges-from the inner wall of the sewing rib during the shoe upper attaching operation.

The sole illustrated is intended for use with the so-called sewed seat turn shoe and accordingly the sewing rib 12 extends entirely around the heel end of the sole and it projects a uniform height above laterally adjacent surface (the feather and the bot tom of the gutter) of the sole throughout the shanlc the heel sea and the forepart of the i As shown in the drawings the upper surtace of the sole within the sewing rib throughout the shank and heel seat of the :sole is molded so as to lie in a plane substaniially lower than the plane of the upper surface of the sole portion 2ain the forepart and the top of the sewing rib 12. By reason of the projecting rib and the termination of the built-up portion of the sole at the forepart a walled recess 26 is thus formed in the upper side of the shank and heel seat of the The purpose of this recess is to receive it; shank stiffening member most advantageously as a constituent part of the shoe and more especially W1th its upper urface flush with the top of the sewing rib l2 and the central portion 24 of the sole. It is to be appreciated, however, that the formation and arrangement of the stiffener receiving recess may be varied within the scope of the invention according to the character of the shank stiffening member intended to be employed. By reason of the molding and vulcanization of the canvas layers a, 6 and 8 and the rubber body 2 they become consolidated and firmly rulcanized together, the additional fabric layers 6 and 8 incorporated in the forepart of the sole adding appreciably to the body and strength of the sole while the shank portion of the sole particularly with the prepared recess 26 remains sufficiently flexible to permit it readily to be turned during the manufacture of the shoe.

In the practice of the invention with the sole so constructed a shoe upper 28, together with the sole, is first assembled on a last 30 and the shoe upper attached to the sewing rib 12 of the sole by the stitches 32 in the customary manner as shown in Fig. 2, the stitches being received in the gutter 16 formed on the upper surface of the sole. It will be seen from Fig. 2 that the bottom'of the last 30 is slightly convexed transversely and thus when the sole is tacked on to the last bottom the margin of the sole is inclined in a manner to facilitatethe lasting and the sewing of the upper to the rib 12. This inclination of the sole margin by reason of the shape of the last bottom and also the tension of the inseam stitches 32 on the sewing rib further acts to open up or enlarge the gutter which facilitates the subsequent filling of the gutter. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the needle of the sewing machine passes through the between substance 20 of the rib 12 and emerges 0n the inner side in such manner, by reason of the gutter 16, that the stitches are drawn against the inner wall of the rib. Since the bottom of the gutter is opposite the base of the sewing shoulder adjacent to the feather 1% of the sole, it. is possible to attach the upper with a short and therefore a strong stitch which is particularly desirable in a turn shoe as the entirev strength of the shoe is dependent upon it. Also the stitches. by being located in the gutter, can not engage the foot and may be readily concealed.

In order to provide a substantially continuous foot engaging surface-for the sole in substantially a single plane throughout the forepart, the gutter 16 is filled flush with the top of the adjacent sewing rib 12 and the surface of the central portion 24 of the sole. Preferably this gutter is filled at this stage in the process of making the shoe, that is directly after the sewing operation, and for this'purpose a strip of filling material 34 such .as illustrated in 2-} of the drawings is conveniently used. filler materlal 34 consists of a strip of flexible and slightly compressible mate right side out. The filler is laid along the gutter during this stepof the process as illustrated in Fig, 2. It is desirable, however, that the filler material should not fit too snugly within the gutter since the gutter is enlarged when the sole is on the last and this would tend to keep the gutter opened up and interfere with thesole assuming the desired reverse convexity when relasted. Under ordinary conditions it will not be found necessary to apply the filler with cement as the gripping of the filler between the upright walls of the gutter when the shoe is turned inside out will be sufficient to hold the filler securely. l Vhile a strip of previously prepared filler material is herein shown as used to fillthe gutter, it is to be understood that it is also within the scope of the invention to fill the gutter in a different manner, as for example, by using a suitable plastic composition to fill the gutter or by applying the filler after turning the shoe right side out. y

In the nextstep in the manufacture of the shoe it is removed from the last and turned inside out, the central portion er of the sole not interfering with the turning of theshoe in the customary manner while the recess shank portion26 of the sole permits the shoe to be flexed very readily. A shank stiffening member is next arranged in the shank receiving recess 26 on the upper side of the sole; The shank stiffening member which is universally used in the manufacture of turn shoes, consists of a leatherboard or fibreboard member 36 shaped to occupy the heel seat area of the shoe and extend forwardly through the shank of thesh'oe within the sewing rib to substantially the ball line, the underside of this member having a narrow strip of tempered steel 37 attached 'to it to reinforce the fibreboard. In accordance with this invention this fibreboard shank piece 36 is shaped to fill up the recess 26 formed by the sewing rib and the upper surface of the sole through the shank and heel seat, the stiffener being of sufiicient length to butt against the shoulder formed by the termination of the built-up forepart portion 24 'at the ball line and of a thickness to provide "a continuation of the foot engaging surface of the sole at the forepart rearwardly t'o'the heel seat. By placing the shank stiffening member 36 in the prepared recess 26, its location relatively to the sole is readily and accurately determined and it is held in such position by the sewing rib 12 sothat it can not be displacedthereon either during further operations on the shoe or the wear of the shoe. This shank piece 36 serves to stiffen the longitudinally arched shank portion of the sole and to provide supportfor the arched portion of the foot. In nailed seat turn shoes this stiffener constitutes the connection between the shoe upper around the heel end and the sole, but this latter function of the shank stiffening member has no utility herein inasmuch as a sewed seat shoe is illustrated. After the shank stiffening member is placed in the recess prepared for it in the sole the shoe is relasted "and thereafter the operations necessary to complete its manufacture are performed in the usual manner. The relastiIlg of the shoeor more strictly the removal of the shoe from the first last enables the sole to return to its normal conformation and particularly its transverse conforma tion so that the gutter 16 tends to close up andthereb'y grip the filler strip 34 between the inner wall of the sewing rib 12 and the opposed wall 22 of the gutter. Where the filler material which is used is slightly compressible any slight variation either in the cross-sectional shape of the filler or the shape of the gutter may be readily compensated for when the shoe is second lasted without distorting or otherwise injuring the desired smooth tread surface for the sole.

Since the foot engaging surface of the sole is substantially level from rib to rib, transversely, and also throughout the entire length of the sole, there is no need for a separate filler piece such as it is now essential to use in turn shoes thus eliminating the labor and expense involved in levelling off the interior foot engaging surface of the sole. In fact it is entirely practical to apply the usual turn shoe sock lining 40 to the upper side of the sole without further operation upon the interior of the shoe as illustrated in Fig. 4. It will be recognized that the sole and the procedure by which it is incorporated in a shoe as herein described makes it possible to produce a comfortable and serviceable shoe with a minimum number of shoemaking operations and a relatively small factory equipment. Further more, an exceedingly comfortable and serviceable shoe is produced since it offers a smooth, foot engaging surface for the foot and is notdependent upon the carefulness and skill of an operator in fitting the filler piece and shank member in proper position on the upper side of the sole. It will be well recognized by those skilled in the art that because of the relatively few major operations necessary in producing the sole and in assembling the constituent parts of the shoe together according to this invention. this shoe is peculiarly adapted to meet the needs of an inexpensive outdoor shoe such as is now supplied by the vulcanized rubber soled shoes commonly called sneakers. 'hese sneaker shoes are not satisfactory in many respects. For example, they give very little service to the wearer in proportion to their cost and are to many people uncomfortable and of a not sufficiently neat appearance. A shoe manufactured as hereinabovo set forth, in addition to providing the desired neat appearance and serviceability, gives the proper support to the foot, particularly through the shank portion thereof, and can be worn to the same advantage as a leather shoe.

The sole which is not claimed herein per se, forms the subject-matter of application Serial No. 266,578, of which the present application is a division.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The method of making a rubber soled turned shoe which consists in placing with its tread face upon the bottom of the first last a sole comprising a body portion of vulcanized rubber compound and an upper layer of fabric, there being molded on the upper face of the sole and extending around the margin thereof a fiat feather. inside the feather a sewing rib, inside the rib a gutter, and inside the gutter a filler portion, the top of the filler portion being substantially flush with the top of the rib and the bottom of the gutter being located at a level at least as low as that of the feather, sewing an upper wrong side out to the rib of the sole thus supported, turning the shoe right side out and completing the manufacture of the shoe, including placing a lining member of sheet material in the bottom of the shoe with the under face of said member in contact with the top of the rib and the top of the raised filler portion of the sole.

2. A. turn shoe comprising an upper and a rubber sole having a rib to which the upper is secured by stitches, and a gutter adjacent to the inner side of the rib in which the stitches are received, the forepart foot-engaging surface of the sole hounded by the gutter being built up flush with the top of the sewing rib, a filler filling the gutter flush with the laterally adjacent surfaces of the sole, and a shank stiffening member arranged along the shank portion of the sole between the ribs with its upper surface substantially flush with the forepart upper surface of the sole and the top of the adjacent ribs.

3. That improvement in methods of making turn shoes which consists in molding a rubber sole with a recess along its shank portion open toward its foot supporting side to receive a shank stiffener member, attaching a shoe upper inside out to the'sole and turning the shoe while the sole is flexible in the shank, arranging the shank stiffener member in the prepared recess in the sole and thereafter relasting the shoe and completing its manufacture.

4. That improvementin methods of making turn shoes which consists in molding a rubber turn sole with a shoe upper attaching rib and a recess opening toward the foot supporting side of the sole and having walls adapted to locate a shank stiffener member in proper relative position in the shoe, attaching a shoe upper inside out to the sole by means of the sewing rib, turning the shoe right side out while the sole is flexible in the shank, arranging the shankstiifener in the prepared recess in the sole and subsequently relasting the shoe and completing its manufacture.

5. That improvement in methods of making turn shoes which consists in preparing a turn sole with a shoe upper attaching rib, a main foot-supporting area through the forepart of substantially the same height as the rib and a shank stiffener receiving recess in the upper side of the shank portion of the sole, attaching shoe upper inside out to the sole by means of the sewing rib, turning the shoe right side out, placing in the prepared recess a shank stiffener member the upper surface of which is the same height as the forepart foot supporting area of the sole and subsequently relasting the shoe and completing its manufacture.

6. That improvement in methods of male ing shoes which consists in molding a sole to produce a shoe upper attaching rib along its margin, a foot supporting area of substantially the same height as the rib and a stitch receiving gutter'adjacent the in ner side of the rib and separating it from the foot engaging area of the sole, attaching a shoe upper to the sole by sewing it to the said rib, filling the stitch receiving gutter flush with the top of the sewing rib and the said foot supporting areato produce a substantially level surface across the forepart of the sole and thereafter performing subsequent operations to complete the manufacture of the shoe.

7. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in molding a sole to produce a shoe upper attaching rib along its margin, a foot supporting area of substantially the same height as the rib and a stitch receiving gutter adjacent the inner side of the rib and separating it from the foot engaging area of the sole, sewing a shoe upper inside out to the sole by means of the sewing rib, filling the said gutter flush with the rib and the adjacent foot supporting area of the sole to produce a smooth foot engaging area for the forepart of the foot when the shoe is turned, turning and relasting the shoe, and thereafter performing subsequent operations to complete it manufacture. 1

8. That improvement in methods of making turn shoes which consists in preparing a sole with a sewing rib, a narrow stitch receiving gutter adjacent to the inner side of the rib and a built-up area inside the gutter, attaching a shoe upper to the said rib and trimming away the surface stock above the seam filling the gutter to present with the rib and built-up area an uninterrupted surface across the forepart of the shoe bottom and then proceeding with the manufacture of the shoe in the usual manner.

9. That improvement in methods of making turn shoes which consists in preparing a sole with a sewing rib, a narrow stitch receiving gutter adjacent to the inner side of the rib, a built-up area inside the gutter through the forepart and a shank stiffener receiving recess through the shank, attaching a shoe upper inside outto the said rib and trimmin away the surface stock above the seam, filling the gutter-to present with the rib and the built-u; area an uninterrupted surface across the forepart of the sole, turning the shoe right side out, ola'cing a shank stiffener in the prepared rccess, relasting the shoe and thereafter performing subsequent operations to complete its manufacture.

10. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in manufacturing an insole with a sewing rib and :1 narrow stitch receiving gutter separating the rib from the central area which is of substantially the same height as the sewing rib, sewing a shoe upper to the sewing rib, and thereafter filling the. gutter even with the surface of said central area and the top of the sewing rib wit-ha" narrow strip of flexible material.

11. That improvement in methods of making shoes which conslsts 1n manu cturing an insole with a sewing rib and a narrow stitch receiving gutter separating the rib from the central area which is of substantially the same. height as'the sewing rib, sewing a shoe upper to the sewing rib, and applying to the gutter a; filling strip having substantially the oross-sectional area and shape of the gutter and thereafter c0mpleting the manufacture of the shoe.

12. That improvement in methods of making turn shoes which consists in manufacturing a turn sole with a sewing rib and a narrow stitch receiving gutter separatingthe sewing rib from the central area which is of substantially the same height as the sewing rib, applying the sole to a convex bottomed last whereby the width of the gutter is extended, sewing an upper in side out to the sewing rib, filling the ex tended gutter flush with the laterally ad jacent surfaces of the sole, turning the shoe right side out and relasting the shoe to reverse the curvature of the sole and thereby narrow the gutter so that its walls tend to grip the gutter filler between them and prevent displacement of the filler.

13. That improvement in the method of producing levelfoot engaging surfaces for turn shoes which consists in molding a rubber sole with a sewing rib along its upper marginal surface "and a narrow stitch receiving gutter separating the sewing rib from the inain foot supporting area of the sole which is of substantially the sameheight as the sewing rib, sewing a shoe upper inside'out to these ving rib by stitches which act to bend the rib ontwardly, applying a filler to the gutter, turnin the shoe into final relation of upper and so e whereby the outward pull on the rib by stitches is loosened and the gutter contracted to grip the filling.

14. A turned shoe comprising a shoe upper, and a molded and vulcanized sole comprising body portion of rubber compound and a layer of fabric on the upper face thereof, there being molded on the upper face of the sole and extending around the margin thereof a feather. inside the feather a'sewing rib, inside the rib a gutter and inside the gutter a filler portion, the top of the filler portion being substantially flush with the top of the riband the bottom of'the gutter being located at a level at least as low as that of the feather, and a lining member in the-bottom of the inside of the shoe with the under face of said member in contact with the top of the rib and the top=of the 'raised filler portion of the sole. r i

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE FERGUSQN. 

